Chakra 1 by Centre Chakra

Centre Chakra’s vocation as a cultural centre for East-West synthesis came to an end in autumn 2001 and so we decided to produce this compilation to honour all the artists who contributed to:

15 Years of Musical Magic.

“East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet” wrote Kipling – yet Chakra is one of the examples that proved him wrong. Our presence in this little village of the ‘Drôme Provençale’ set the stage for many musical events featuring world-renowned artists.

Most of these musicians came from India and were in teaching residence here, sharing precious knowledge with students from the West. The walls of this house still carry the subtle vibration of their musical presence, and those who had the privilege to learn from them, carry the impact of their teachings into their own fields of research.

Because of the intimate setting in which most of these concerts took place, there is no extra amplification. The human voice and the acoustic instruments reveal their natural sound in its pristine essence, as originally intended for this very special music where listeners are called ‘Rasikas’, literally those who partake of the essence, drink in the sap (rasa) of the emotive moods revealed by the Ragas.

From the Spring Festivals to Summer exuberance to the very special Sunday morning concerts where we heard rarely performed Ragas, India’s living musical presence came to La Roche, as did that of Iran and Medieval Europe in the ‘Sacred Music Encounters’.

Our deepest thanks go to all the artists who contributed to these years of musical magic and also all those ‘listeners’ who came from far and wide to share these special moments.

So sit back, close your eyes and imagine yourself in Chakra’s studio space. Outside birds and crickets and cicadas sing… the sound of the waterfall… the perfume of lavender wafts in through the open windows. The strains of the tanpura release a full harmonic spectrum – and now let the music begin.

We wish you many hours of joyful listening.

Sheela Raj, Friedrich Glorian, Pierre Hansen
La Roche St. Secret, June 30th, 2001

Centre Chakra’s vocation as a cultural centre for East-West synthesis came to an end in autumn 2001 and so we decided to produce this compilation to honour all the artists who contributed to:

15 Years of Musical Magic.